Michel Foucault

Description

Michel Foucault (1926 – 1984) was a radical
postmodernist, post-structuralist
French philosopher who criticized many institutions. He was a homosexual
hedonist, and sought to redefine sexuality, as well as challenging many other
paradigms of his day.

Discussion

Perhaps the defining aspect of Foucault was that he was an explorer. Rather
than build up a coherent body of fixed knowledge, he loved to challenge and
leave things open rather than rebuild that which he had taken apart. Fixedness
and certainty for Foucault were as red rags to a bull.

He was critical of social sciences that purported to state scientific facts
about human nature that were often full of bias.

His method moved from archaeology (digging) to genealogy (understanding
evolution).

He viewed the subconscious as a product of the
psychoanalytical discursive regime, much as any concept is a result of the
relevant discursive practice. This, however, denies unconscious forces such as
irrational anxiety and psychological investment.